Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an 80-year-old ex-convict, Jeremiah Isaiah Nkanta, and several other suspects in coordinated operations that led to the recovery of large quantities of illicit drugs across Akwa Ibom, Oyo, Edo, Adamawa, Taraba and Niger states.
Nkanta, a notorious drug dealer, was re-arrested barely three years after he was convicted and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for drug trafficking.
He was first arrested on December 14, 2022, prosecuted and jailed by a Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Acting on fresh intelligence, NDLEA operatives tracked him to his residence at Mmanta–Abak village in Abak Local Government Area, where he was arrested on Saturday, with 5.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.
The details of the arrests and seizures were disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday, by the Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, in Abuja.
In another operation in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Oron–Ibaka Road in Oron Local Government Area intercepted a 37-year-old businessman, Ani Onyebuchi Romans, on Friday, January 9, while travelling with full body mannequins.
A search revealed that the mannequins were stuffed with 5.3 kilograms of tramadol pills intended for trafficking to Cameroun.
In Oyo State, NDLEA raids across Ibadan led to the arrest of several suspects and the seizure of dangerous drugs. A 45-year-old suspect, Remi Bamidele, also known as “Aluko the Mafia,” was arrested at Sasa, Ibadan, with 10.696 kilograms of Colorado, Scottish Loud, Ghana Loud, Canadian Loud and skunk, while two vehicles were recovered from him.
Further arrests were recorded in Edo, Adamawa, Taraba and Niger states, where dispatch riders and other suspects were apprehended with large consignments of tramadol and different strains of cannabis during separate operations.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands across the country sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres and communities as part of efforts to curb drug abuse nationwide.
Commending the officers involved, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa, praised the commands for their operational successes and balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction.
